


Klaus Becomes a Single Father

by StripedSunhat



Series: Single Father Klaus [1]
Category: Girl Genius (Webcomic)
Genre: ...when he's not being really bad at it, Family Dynamics, Gen, Klaus is a good parent, Klaus is the tryingest parent ever, Pre-Canon, Why Gil needs therapy, Why Klaus needs therapy, Why Sparks need therapy, improper lab safety
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-24
Updated: 2018-07-24
Packaged: 2019-06-15 11:53:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15412335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StripedSunhat/pseuds/StripedSunhat
Summary: There is a big difference between being a distant guardian of an unknowing charge and being a single parent of a young child.  Klaus may not have completely appreciated the distinction until he'd already made the transition.It's fine.He can handle it.Absolutely.





	Klaus Becomes a Single Father

Klaus will admit it, he hadn’t really thought through the ramifications of telling Gilgamesh the truth past getting his son to actually listen to him. So now his son knew who he was and Klaus had no clue how what to do next.

He could not go back to the impersonal distance he’d been maintaining for the last… almost entirety of Gilgamesh’s life. It wasn’t like he hadn’t been there just – further away – than he would have liked. Right. Forward. Moving Forward.

Aside from the fact that pulling away after revealing himself would hurt Gilgamesh it had been hard enough acting like Gilgamesh wasn’t special as it was. More than once the only thing that had kept him from reaching out had been the sharp mental reminder that Gilgamesh wouldn’t understand why Klaus wanted to to spend time with him.

But he also couldn’t acknowledge Gilgamesh as his son. He’d kept his distance for a _reason_. That hadn’t magically changed just because Gilgamesh was in on the secret.

He’d had a plan. He’d been going to wait a few more years for Gilgamesh’s brilliance to become more readily apparent. The older students would have spread out by that point as they’d gained more liberties and started pursuing their own interests. From there he’d have been able to slowly start spending more time with Gilgamesh under the guise of his by then obvious brilliance, which would have let him get to know his son, first through science then on a more personal level. When Gilgamesh was old enough he’d send him to a university – somewhere controlled obviously, where he’d be safe and Klaus could keep an eye on him. And then when he returned to Castle Wulfenbach Klaus would tell him of his true heritage. After a few months to let him get accustomed to the idea they could finally reveal Gilgamesh as his son and heir. It had been a good plan. A solid plan. A plan that would have worked and not left him flailing with a newly disillusioned eight-year-old.

Except now that plan was thoroughly destroyed.

He had no idea what to do.

He could do this. He forged an entire empire and kept it running without it regressing into chaos. Nothing ever went to plan there. He could handle parenting his own child.

Right. Okay. Break it down into manageable pieces. Small things first.

Obviously he still couldn’t openly spend time with Gilgamesh. So their interactions would have to be divided into two categories: public and private. However he decided to move forward with his relationship with his son it couldn’t interrupt either of their current patterns enough to arouse any notice. That was easy enough on his end. He didn’t have a fixed schedule, just a never ending list of increasingly large fires that flared up throughout his empire. And when he wasn’t doing that a good chunk of his time was spent trying to head off the idiots passing around matches. Gilgamesh’s schedule however, being a student bound by classes and curfews, was much more defined.

Klaus did allow the students some level of freedom. Gilgamesh was still a bit young to be allowed free range but that hadn’t stopped him and Sturmvoraus from going so many different places they shouldn’t. Too many.

Well that wouldn’t be a problem anymore, would it.

No one would think twice of him continuing to disappear for potentially hours on end.

Now Klaus just had to figure out what he was going to do with him.

One of his labs? Gilgamesh was still several years from breaking through but a love of science could never be instilled too early. And there was no such thing as too much lab safety basics.

            That could work. It would be enclosed, private. The only people who would need to know would be the small, small, small group of underlings and minions that already knew the truth. And if anyone else found out it came with the ready-made excuse of nurturing Gilgamesh’s intellect. He’s allowed to take an interest in the students’ future. Just because they’re hostages doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to reach their full intellectual potential. And if Gilgamesh happened to be the student he decided to focus on, well, he was the smartest one of them.

That could definitely work. He could give Gilgamesh free access to one of his labs. That way he could come and go as he pleased without Klaus escorting him, which would have the double advantage of masking their interactions and giving Gilgamesh the feeling Klaus trusts him.

Yes, that could work perfectly.

Now he just had to find the right lab.

Three days later he was standing in one of his safer labs, waiting for Gilgamesh to come join him. He’d cleared out all the more dangerous equipment and experiments, leaving, well, not a lot. Still more than enough to interest a child. And if this went well he could move more (safe) projects in here from his other labs.

“Herr Baron? You wanted to talk to me?”

Klaus turned. Gil was standing just inside the doorway fingers fisted nervously in the hem of his shirt. Klaus hadn’t even heard him come in. “Gil. Come in,” he said ushering his son further inside and closing the lab door. “When we’re alone you’re allowed to call me Father.”

“Of course …Father.”

The two of them stood in silence in the middle of the lab.

Gilgamesh was clearly still nervous but more than that he was a bright, exceedingly curious boy who had never before been in a lab this impressive. Klaus watched as his son craned his neck and leaned on one leg to get a better view. “I know things must have been awkward for you since you learned the truth.” Gilgamesh nearly fell over as he tried to spin around to face Klaus while still on one leg.

“Did I do something wrong? I didn’t tell anyone I promise. I swear –”

“I know you didn’t. That’s not why I asked you to join me.”

“Gil glanced around the room, finally landing on Klaus’s feet rather than his face. “Then – then why did you?”

I wanted to spend time with you.”

“Really?” Klaus forced himself not to react to the startled tone or the wide, hopeful eyes.

“Of course. You are my son. I’ll always want to spend time with you.” Gilgamesh smiled. It was small but so painfully real. Klaus allowed himself to give a real smile back. This was his son. He could show him what he was really feeling. “You know we can’t do anything that may accidently expose who you really are. Which means I can’t interact with you in the way either of us may want.” Gilgamesh’s smile dimmed. Klaus kept pushing ahead pretending he hadn’t seen it. “However, that doesn’t mean we can’t spend any time together. That’s why I asked you to come here.”

“Is this your lab?”

“One of them. You can take a look if you want.” Gilgamesh didn’t need to be told twice. He was already halfway across the lab poking excitedly through a series of erlenmeyer flasks and centrifuges. Chuckling, Klaus wandered over and joined his son.

Time, as it always did when Science was concerned, became malleable after that but he’d guess they spent maybe four hours or so exploring. Gilgamesh was buried in the engine he’d halfway disassembled when he suddenly yawned. Not surprising really; it had been well after dinner hour when Gilgamesh had arrived. “Maybe it’s time for you to go to sleep.”

Gilgamesh opened his mouth to protest when another yawn escaped. He frowned down at the engine block before looking up at Klaus. “Will we be able to do this again?”

“Of course.” That wasn’t reassurance enough. His son deserved a better answer than that. “Some of my most treasured memories of my father are working alongside him in his lab. I hope one day you might say the same thing about me.” Well _that_ sounded natural and not at all awkward and forced.

“When?”

“That’s up to you. I’m giving you free access to this lab so you can come here whenever you want.”

“Tomorrow?”

Klaus grimaced. Spending his time in here getting to better know his son sounded infinitely preferable to the meetings and assorted idiocy he had to deal with tomorrow instead. But unfortunately running the empire didn’t work that way. “You are welcome to come down here but I have meetings I have to attend. However, if you wanted we could spend more time together the evening after that.”

Gilgamesh beamed up at him.

See? Who needed a plan for parenting anyway.

* * *

Klaus hated everyone.

More than anyone he hated his advisors. Actually, no. More than them he hated the Lords Rothschild and Egerton and their asinine feuding that was forcing him to have to go deal with them in person. And his advisors who had insisted on the trip.

He was supposed to spend time with Gilgamesh tomorrow.

That certainly wouldn’t be happening if he wasn’t even on the airship.

Klaus sighed as he pulled out the rarely touched bottle of gut-rot from under his desk. It was too late to go tell Gilgamesh tonight. He would have been asleep for hours already. And Klaus’s airship would be leaving at first light tomorrow. Taking a swig from the scratched bottle he pulled out a sheet of paper and a pen.

The note he eventually came up with was fairly short. Apologetic while still straight to the point and clear in its explanation. He left it folded on the main table of the lab in clear sight of the door. Gilgamesh would find it when he came to the lab. That way he’d know what happened and that Klaus hadn’t simply abandoned him. Then when Klaus got back in a few days they could make it up.

It would be fine.

* * *

What should have been three days had turned into two and a half weeks. Because of course it did. (Klaus swore, he _swore_ , one of these days he was going to take everyone’s land away from them and give it all to sentient piles of compost. He would _build_ such constructs specifically for that purpose. And he would demand the former lords all house their new governors and the only duty they would have left would be to manage the smell.)

Well he was home now; he could relax – as much as he ever did – forget all about squabbling children masquerading as nobility – as much as he ever could – and spend whatever time he had until the next crisis with his son.

Gilgamesh.

He’d promised his son he’d be back in three days, four at the most. He’d promised Gilgamesh that it would be only three days until he saw him again.

And then those idiotic lords had caused him to break it.

(Sentient. Compost. Don’t think he wouldn’t.)

It was late, almost half past three in the morning. The sensible thing to do would be to wait until decent, human hours and then see his son, maybe over a breakfast of waffles. But he could still check in on him.

Gilgamesh’s bed was empty.

No.

No no no no no.

He never should have started spending time around Gilgamesh. Of course someone would notice. But no, he just had to try to have a relationship with his son. And now he was gone. This was all his fault.

Right, calm down. This wasn’t the first time Gilgamesh hadn’t been in his bed.

But Sturmvoraus wasn’t here anymore and his room was empty.

When he found whoever took Gilgamesh he would rip them limb from limb.

If Gilgamesh was hurt – If even a hair on his head had been touched –

“Hoy! Herr Baron! Velcome beck! Gud trip?” Klaus wheeled on the jäger with a snarl. Apparently unfazed by his anger the jäger continued to smile happily. “Hy’m sure leettle Gil vill be glad to haff you back. He’s been spending zo much time en dat lab of yours I’m sure he haz someting verra special by now.”

Klaus stopped. “He’s in the lab?” The lab. How had he forgotten to check the lab?

The jäger – Dietrich, Klaus realized now that he wasn’t blinded by panic – kept smiling. He wasn’t whom one would call the brightest jäger but for some reason the generals insisted on keeping him close as one of their errand boys. “Ho yes. De Generals, dey put me in charge of keeping an eye on hem. So hy’s been feedink hem since he’s not leavink the lab.” He shifted his hold, drawing Klaus’s attention to the food he hadn’t realized he was holding. “Don’t vorry. Hy’ve been usink fency food too.”

In spite of himself Klaus couldn’t help asking, “Such as?”

“Lobster! Still alive too because dat’s how de fency people eet dem. Crunch em between yous own teeth.”

“And how is he?” He wasn’t sure how much he’d trust a report from someone who thought that a live lobster was a viable meal but any intelligence was helpful.

Dietrich barked out a laugh. “Hah! As eff hy’d try to break through de Madness place jest for a sandwhich.” He hoisted the armful of teacakes. “If hyu toss food in it usually gets eaten.”

Klaus felt the blood drain from his face. “But you haven’t actually seen him.”

“Ets a beg lab. But don’t vorry. I heard lots of crashes vhen I last poked mine head in. He’s vorkink on somedink _fun_.” His already toothy grin got even larger. “Reminds me eff de gud old days vith de Masters. Throw de keds in a lab and see vhat happens.”

“When did you last ‘poke your head in’?” he demanded.

“Yesterday mornink.”

Klaus tore off down the hall, no longer caring about anything else Dietrich might have to say. Stupid, stupid, stupid! What had he been thinking, giving an eight-year-old child free access to a private lab while he was gone? ‘A safe lab.’ Had all those years adventuring with Bill and Barry taught him nothing? He’d once been in a lab that was a room full of literally nothing but cheese and it still blew up.

He all but kicked open the door to the lab when he finally reached it. The inside had been decimated. A localized hurricane had torn through leaving nothing untouched.

Gilgamesh. Where was Gilgamesh?

There was a pile of food on one of the tables next to an overturned bunsen burner. At least a few items had bites taken out of them. So Gilgamesh had been ~~ali~~ \- awake and well enough to eat at some point. But how long ago was that?

“Squee!” Klaus froze. That was not a human sound.

There were no biological experiments in this lab. That didn’t mean one couldn’t have escaped. If Gilgamesh was hurt –

“Squee! Squee!”

“Not quite but better! Try again.” Gilgamesh! Klaus vaulted over the remaining lab bench to his son. Both Gilgamesh and the mystery experiment let out surprised yelps as he landed. Gilgamesh was sitting on the floor across from a haphazard pile of blankets, coats and a tarp. The pile also had an eye.

“Father!” Gilgamesh cried, scrambling to his feet. “You’re back early!” He was covered in every sort of mess and stain one could conceivably find in a lab save bodily fluids. No blood. Gilgamesh wasn't bleeding. He also wasn’t wearing a shirt.

“…I’m more than two weeks late.”

“Oh.” Gilgamesh trailed off, tilting his head to the side in thought as he shifted through his memory. “It didn’t _feel_ like it.”

“What happened? And where is your shirt?”

“I gave it to Zoing,” he said pointing at the fabric lump. Yes that was in fact Gilgamesh’s shirt peaking out from under everything. “He was cold.”

“And Zoing is…?”

I made him!”

He made him. His son _made_ a fully functional construct. At _eight_. Klaus eyed the destruction around him with fresh eyes. A localized hurricane or a Spark breaking through. He missed his son’s breakthrough.

His son broke through at eight.

(Eight. _Eight_. Not even the Heterodynes could touch that level of prodigy!)

“Father? Are you mad? You said I could come here whenever I wanted even when you weren’t but should I not have?”

Klaus jolted back to the present. Gilgamesh was staring at the floor again, clearly convinced he’d done something wrong. “What? No.” Instinctually Klaus dropped to his knees. This was not a conversation to have looming over him. “You haven’t done anything wrong Gilgamesh. I was just surprised. You weren’t supposed to break through yet. That’s all.”

“I wasn’t?”

Inside his own head Klaus swore. “I didn’t expect you to break through yet,” he corrected himself. “It means you’re even more brilliant than I’d thought. You are amazing son. And you’re construct – Zoing? – is amazing too.”

“Really?”

“Yes.” Content that the crisis was at least partially averted, Klaus sat back on his heels taking the chance to study what he could see of the construct. “So what did you make him for?”

“He’s a fri– servant. He’s a servant.” A friend. Gilgamesh had built himself a friend. He’d been so alone in the school he’d felt the need to build a friend. Klaus cursed the foolish, title-driven children that made up the student body. And their over-important noble families that had made them that way. Gil was better than all of them and they shunned him.

“A friendly servant?” he offered.

“Yes! Right. Exactly. He’s a friendly servant. Because friendly servants are better.”

“I’ve always thought so. What job did you build him for?”

“Uhhh…” Obviously Gilgamesh hadn’t thought that far through.

“Teee?” Both of them stared down at the teacup suddenly thrust in front of Gilgamesh’s face. “Teee.” The little construct held the cup up higher, which had actual tea steaming inside it. There wasn’t a tea service in the lab. At least, there hadn’t been when Klaus left.

“He really likes tea,” Gilgamesh explained, taking the cup. “Thank you Zoing. Why don’t you go get my father a cup too?”

“Squee!” Zoing scuttled off into the recesses of the lab.

“That’s what his job can be! He can serve me tea.” Gilgamesh nodded, grinning proudly only for his grin to turn into a grimace when he took a sip of tea.

Klaus leaned in close to his son, lowering his voice “Do you even like tea?” he asked.

“I can… learn to?” Zoing came back right then, offering a fresh cup to Klaus. He took a small sip with a bit of trepidation. It wasn’t bad.

“Zoing!” Gilgamesh called. Zoing’s focus was immediately entirely on his son. “What do you think of making your job be to bring me tea? You could bring it to me all the time.”

“Ibrin teee?”

“Yes exactly. You bring tea.”

“Squee!” There was something indescribably cute about the way the little construct threw himself into his son’s arms. Unfortunately in catching him Gilgamesh dropped his tea. The cup was miraculously uncracked but the tea had spilled everywhere. “Getchumor teee!” Before either of them could say anything to stop him Zoing was gone again, teacup in hand.

Klaus watched the construct go. Most Sparks didn’t break through with such well-rounded (not to mention peaceful) projects. And certainly not at eight. His gaze drifted back to his son.

Normal Sparks didn’t break through at eight. _Gifted_ Sparks didn’t break through at eight.

This was dangerous.

“Son.” Gilgamesh’s head snapped up to meet his. “While make no mistake I am proud of your breakthrough, any steps we take from here in regards to your Spark have to be taken _carefully_.”

“I can’t tell the other students?”

“You can’t tell anyone.” They’ll need to hide his Spark. At least for the next few years. Wait until he’s at an age where it’s at least feasible for him to break through. Maybe longer. After all, a child with the Spark attracts a lot more interest than one without it.

“We can’t let you around anyone until you’ve completely finished breaking through. We’re going to have to keep you away from the school entirely until then.

Gilgamesh blinked. “Oh yeah. School.”

“Gilgamesh, have you been to school at all since I left?”

“Um… I think I went the first day. First two days…? I know I went at some point.” What had Dietrich said, something about being charged with keeping an eye on Gil?

“…When did you last leave the lab?”

“…Sometime after the last time I went to school…?”

Klaus resisted the urge to sigh. So they were at the end of Gilgamesh’s breakthrough, not the beginning. Gil wavered where he stood. He blinked slowly a few more times, eyes going wide and unfocused. Then without any warning they rolled back in his head and he pitched forward. Klaus just barely caught him before he could hit the floor. Gilgamesh remained limp.

Klaus shifted his hold to try to get a better view. Without the support of Klaus’s hand Gilgamesh’s head dropped, hair brushing against the floor. All Klaus could see was the corpse in the medical lab downstairs, the way its head had lolled just like Gilgamesh’s did now.

But he was still breathing, slow and steady and even. His pulse was solid. His eyes twitched under his eyelids.

Sleeping.

He was asleep.

Talking with Klaus had drawn him out of his fugue long enough for exhaustion to take hold and he’d passed out. That was all. He was fine.

He was fine.

“Squee!!!” Gilgamesh’s construct had returned. The tea he’d gone to fetch was on the floor creating a new puddle surrounding the amazingly still unbroken cup. “Heep!”

“He’s fine. He merely fell asleep.” The construct leaned forward, trying to peer at Gilgamesh’s face. “He’ll be fine as soon as he wakes up. I should get him to bed. Will you be alright staying here until I can send someone to get you?”

Zoing tilted his head, considering. Fully intelligent and capable of reasoning. Gilgamesh certainly didn’t do anything halfway. “Yup yup!”

Nodding, Klaus hefted his sleeping son further into his arms. Gilgamesh curled against his chest. It reminded Klaus of when he’d been a baby. He needed to get his son to the medical wing and let the whomever Sun’s current lackey onboard was know that Gilgamesh would be spending the next few days there. He also would need to make sure they understood that Gilgamesh had been in medical with a fever for the last two and a half weeks.

His son was a Spark.

Klaus had a feeling this had just gotten a lot more complicated.


End file.
